James Grant

James Grant (1720-13 April 1806) was a Scottish military officer under the service of Great Britain. Grant fought in the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years War, the French and Indian War, and American Revolutionary War while serving as Governor of East Florida from 1764 to 1771 and a Member of Parliament.

Biography
Grant was born in Ballindalloch in Scotland and joined the Royal Scots in 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession, and he served in the Battle of Fontenoy a year later. In the 1750s he fought in the French and Indian War in The Americas, and became acquainted with George Washington, Francis Marion, and Hugh Mercer, and grew contempt for the colonial militia forces of the Thirteen Colonies. When he was captured in the September 1758 First Battle of Fort Duquesne, he blamed his defeat on the failure of the militia to follow orders. After his release he served in the 1761 expedition against the Cherokee Nations and the 1763 Siege of Havana. The next year he was appointed Governor of East Florida as a reward for his services during the Seven Years War. Grant also became a member of Parliament.

During the American Revolutionary War he underestimated the Patriots, and in 1775 he served under Thomas Gage in the Siege of Boston and evacuated to Halifax in April 1776 when Boston fell. He returned to the Thirteen Colonies to serve under William Howe and he commanded the British regulars in the Battle of Greenville in late June 1776. Two months later he participated in the New York Campaign and fought at the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of White Plains.

After the battles around New York Grant continued to serve under Howe and fought in the Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania, in 1777 during the Pennsylvania Campaign. After the Battle of Barren Hill in 1778 he was shipped to the West Indies and in December 1778 he captured St. Lucia from the Kingdom of France. In 1779 he returned to England, ending his service in the war. He was made a Lieutenant General in 1782 and in 1789 was appointed Governor of Stirling Castle. He retired from the British army in 1805 and died at the age of 86.